The Obama's not ready for prime time
'ACCESS HOLLYWOOD' | Obama regrets interview with his daughters
WASHINGTON -- They won't do that again.
(Courtesy)
The Obamas did not anticipate the massive interest in the "Access Hollywood" interview they did with their adorable daughters, 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha. They regret putting them in the spotlight and they won't repeat it, Barack Obama said Wednesday.
Obama made the morning news show rounds and was asked in each about the speaking debut of his daughters. The Obamas up until July 4 had minimized the girls' public exposure. They have been seen often, but never heard from.
The "Access Hollywood" interview was conducted July 4 -- Malia's birthday. "Access Hollywood," never expecting to get the Obama children on camera, is running excerpts of the unexpected scoop over four nights this week.
Asked by ABC's Diane Sawyer if he was sorry, Obama said,"I don't think it's healthy and it's something that we'll be avoiding in the future."
The Obama campaign agreed to Michelle and Barack sitting for an interview because "Access Hollywood" reaches a wide audience and their viewers may be people who don't keep up on politics, and thus may not know much about the personal side of the couple.
Maria Menounos, the "Access Hollywood" reporter who conducted the interview, told MSNBC's Dan Abrams Tuesday night that she only expected to be interviewing the couple.
"It was not something that they had told us was going to happen in any kind of way. We showed up that day. And they said, you know what, the girls really love the Jonas Brothers, and they're kind of intrigued at the fact that we're going to be doing this interview, they may want to say something at the end about the Jonas Brothers.
"And I said, hey, anything from the girls will be great, you know, wonderful. And the senator and his wife sat down, they were right next to each other, and all of the sudden after they're miked and we're about to go, the girls pop in."
CBS' Russ Mitchell, asking if the girls will be seen more, was told no by Obama on Wednesday.
"We had a unique situation in Montana where it was Malia's birthday, and all of us, I think, got caught up in the festivities. And so they had a chance to be their adorable selves on TV, but generally we've been very protective of them. And, you know, in retrospect, I think if you'd asked me, we probably wouldn't have done it then, and we wouldn't do it again."